1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an innovative regulation valve of the ball type. Known in the art, above all when gaseous fluids are used, are the problems connected with ball valves in the opening and closing transients and in the intermediate positions for flow regulation.
2. State of the Prior Art
In an attempt to improve the performance of these valves several different solutions have been proposed in the known art. For example, insertion of suitable perforated baffles into the duct passing through the ball element has been suggested so as to partially close part of the entrance of such a duct. This partly closed and perforated region should supply an improved regulation at the intermediate rotation positions of the ball. Unfortunately, this solution eliminates the possibility of having a fully open valve, the perforated baffle partly obstructing the duct. In addition, due to the particular shape of the attachment edges formed by the perforated baffle and the passages therein present, under some operating conditions unacceptable vibrations and whistles are generated, above all at high speeds of the fluid.
It is a general aim of the present invention to obviate the drawbacks of known ball valves, by providing a ball valve not only allowing an ON/OFF operation, but also offering the possibility of regulating the flow with high differential pressures or lower differential pressures but a high useful regulation angle, all that with a simple and sturdy structure operation of which is satisfactorily noiseless even at high fluid speeds.